WATCH: Little boy’s face lights up on hearing sound for first time

Mdantsane’s little Imbo Fufu’s face lights up with sheer excitement as he hears sound for the first time after his cochlear implant was switched on.

In September‚ it was the first time that Frere Hospital performed a cochlear implant. Previously they had been sending patients to the Western Cape.

This time‚ a private sector doctor did the operation closer to home.

A cochlear implant is an electronic device that replaces the function of the damaged inner ear. Unlike hearing aids‚ which make sounds louder‚ cochlear implants do the work of damaged parts of the inner ear (cochlea) to provide sound signals to the brain. Part of the device sits on the outside of the ear.

Imbo was first diagnosed with a hearing impairment in both ears when he was nine months old. Now two years old‚ Imbo can be seen in the video delightedly responding to hearing sound for the first time.